27th March 2015, The University of Melbourne
Hosted by the Digital Humanities Incubator (DHI) in the School of Culture and Communication, University of Melbourne. The ‘material turn’ in Humanities research has seen a celebration of the physicality of things and a revaluing of the weight of experience, including in the case of digital data. In his key text Mechanisms, Matthew Kirschenbaum identifies a need to reassess theories of electronic textuality in light of “the material matrix governing writing and inscription in all forms: erasure, variability, repeatability and survivability” (2008, xii). In the academy, this material turn co-exists with an increasing utilization of digital resources and digital methodologies to preserve and disseminate the findings of our research. These shifts are accompanied by divergent affective responses that include an interest in tactile sensations and a mourning of the loss of the object. There is a new awareness of the forms of lightness or weight attached to the transmission of ideas in and beyond our research communities; the densities of our culture and scholarship. The ever more numerous moments of contact between material culture and digital methodologies open up debates that are of both practical and theoretical significance. We invite papers that explore any aspect of the intersection between digital and material cultures. We warmly encourage proposals from scholars with a range of disciplinary backgrounds as well as from archival practitioners. Topics and questions to be addressed might include:

What are the critical practices in the intersection of digital humanities and the material turn? Where are the material traces in the digital? What labour is involved in the transitions between the material and the digital?How do material and digital objects, practices and networks interrelate? What is lost in translations from material to digital, and what is gained? What is it that archives seek, and are able, to preserve? What are the political and territorial disputes of material conservation? How are creativity, meaning and contemporary resonance expressed in museums, libraries and archives? What material, theoretical and ethical challenges are posed by the collection and use of data? Case studies of particular archival collections and the relationships they create between the material and the digital. What are the opportunities and limitations for pedagogy? How have contemporary representations imagined the digital transformation of contemporary cultures?

The symposium will run for one day. Proposals for 20 minute papers should contain an abstract of 150 words, as well as your paper title, a short biography (100 words), institutional affiliation and contact details. Proposals should be submitted by 4th February 2015to amandat

Game History Annual Symposium: 2015 Edition
History of Gender in Games

Bilingual Conference (French/English)
June 26-27, Grande Bibliothèque (Montreal, Canada)
Website : www.sahj.ca<http://www.sahj.ca><http://www.sahj.ca>

Since the beginning of the 1990s, many scholars have shown concern for the plethora of gender stereotypes and sexist narratives in video games, as well as for the lower percentage of female players and of female game designers. Over time, the solutions advanced to avoid sexism and to bridge the gaps between men and women followed three different trends.

First Wave of Game Feminism
Considering the growing importance of technological literacy during the 1990s, many were promoting the creation of computer games specifically designed for girls. Even though these games risk naturalizing gender binaries, it seemed more realistic to transform the game industry one step at a time, by creating spaces where young girls feel comfortable to play. Simultaneously, groups like Quake Grrl proved that female players can enjoy beating boys at their own games.

Second Wave of Game Feminism
Between 2000 and 2010, the number of female players increased, but the rarity of women designers, the marginalization of professional female players, and the proliferation of stereotypical avatars persisted. While the conception of gender as socially constructed was spreading, more voices called for gender-neutral games. Some scholars also surfed on this “second wave” of game feminism by turning their attention to the contextual factors that explain gender disparity within gaming practices. Such discussions on gender in games, however, remained mostly centered around white heterosexual women.

Third Wave of Game Feminism
After two decades of game feminism, many scholars are now shifting their focus toward alternative representations of gender, LGBTQ themes, as well as self-reflexivity, diversity, sexuality, and masculinity in video games. Inspired by the most recent developements in gender and queer studies, more researchers adopt an intersectional approach to gender/race/class/age, or a postmodern approach to gender as something that we “do” and that is open to exploration on an individual basis, thus initiating a “third wave” of game feminism.

Conference
Presented in partnership with TAG (Technoculture, Arts and Games, Concordia University), CMS|W (Comparative Media Studies | Writing, MIT), Canada Research Chair In Game Studies & Design (Concordia University), LUDOV (Laboratory for the Documentation and Observation of Video Games, UdeM), Homo Ludens (UQAM), and BAnQ (Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec), this second edition of the Game History Annual Symposium will not only provide opportunities to review the history of gender in games, but also to document the emergence of a “third wave” of game feminism. Professionals and scholars from any and all disciplines are invited to submit a proposal in French or in English that would fit in one of these four tracks:

Track 1: Game Feminism
Invited speakers: Suzanne De Castell and Jennifer Jenson, co-founders of Feminists in Games (FIG)

How have studies of gender in games evolved in the past decades? Have scholars found ways to work on this topic without essentializing gender differences and homogenizing the category “woman?” How can we describe the third wave of game feminism in comparison with the first and the second ones? How can studies of gender in computer games benefit from studies of gender in “traditional games” (role-playing games, board games, dolls, etc.)?

Track 2: Game Representations
Invited speaker: Adrienne Shaw, author of Gaming at the Edge: Sexuality and Gender at the Margins of Gamer Culture (University of Minnesota Press, 2015)

How have gender representations in games changed? What similarities and differences can be observed between those found in computer games and those found in “traditional” games? Are stereotypical protagonists still pervasive, or there is more room for nuanced, androgynous, and queer avatars? Are there more serious games, indie games, or machinima that challenge stereotypes, educate players on gender issues or question heteronormativity?

Track 3: Game Design
Invited speaker: Brie Code, Lead programmer of Child of Light (Ubisoft, 2014)

How has the participation of women as players and developers transformed game design? Has the game industry created new genres that are more appealing to women? Has it incorporated, in traditional genres, new elements that attract female players? Does the evolution of game design reflect a change of values regarding gender equality or a better tolerance of diversity? Do computer games provide more freedom than “traditional” games in terms of gameplay?

Track 4: Game Culture
Invited speaker: Todd Harper, author of The Culture of Digital Fighting Games: Performance and Practice (Routledge, 2013)

How have gender dynamics evolved in game communities? Have those communities opened up to female players and gaymers? To what extend are sexism and sexual harassment still pervasive in geek culture? Are there new pockets of resistance? How and in what areas has the game industry changed its marketing to reach wider audiences than the core young male demographic?

Abstract Submission
Proposals of 800 words (plus bibliography) should be sent to GameHistoryMTL<mailto:GameHistoryMTL><mailto:GameHistoryMTL<mailto:GameHistoryMTL>> before January 11, 2015. The proposals should be anonymous, include a title, and provide a clear synopsis for a 20-minute presentation. In your email, please specify which track you want to be part of, provide your name, affiliation, and a short biography. Submissions will be reviewed by members of the scientific committee. A double-blind peer review publication project will be launched after the conference.

Conference chairs for the 2015 Edition
Mia Consalvo, Professor at Concordia University
Gabrielle Trépanier-Jobin, Postdoctoral Researcher at MIT

Cultural Events

• Screening of the movie Gaming in Color (2014)
• Exhibition “Gender in Games”

• Closing Reception

• Montreal International Jazz Festival

International Conference : Creativity and Cognition Glasgow School of Art : June 22-26, 2015

Tom Maver, Conference Chair, invites you to participate in the Creativity and Cognition 2015 International Conference sponsored by the Computer Human Interface Special Interest Group (SGICHI) of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM). This biennial conference series explores the interaction between the emerging information technologies and all aspects of the arts.

The Call for papers, art works, workshops, posters, etc can be found at : cc15.cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk

This NEH Advanced Topics in the Digital Humanities Summer Institute, co-hosted by Arkansas State University and UCLA, will consider advanced problems and issues facing scholars working with 3D content with an emphasis on the end user experience. This institute will take place over two consecutive summers. In 2015, participants will gather for a week at ASU to discuss key issues and challenges with institute faculty, and define research questions that they will explore in the subsequent academic year. In 2016, participants will present their findings at a three-day symposium to be held at UCLA.

Applications are due March 16, 2015.

The application process will be posted by November 1, 2014.

Submissions are encouraged from:
Scholars with research or teaching projects that would benefit from advanced discussion of theoretical issues related to 3D content,
In-service educators interested in pedagogical applications for 3D content across humanities disciplines and grade levels,
Library, museum, and publishing professionals investigating or using 3D content in installations or born-digital publications, and
Technologists involved with interactive 3D computer graphics, educational games, or dissemination platforms.

Faculty:
Alyson A. Gill, Institute Co-Director, Arkansas State University
Lisa M. Snyder, Institute Co-Director, UCLA
Ear Zow Digital, Curtin University, Australia
John R. Clarke, University of Texas, Austin
Diane Favro, UCLA
Maurizio Forte, Duke University
Bernard Frischer, Indiana University
Ruth Hawkins, Arkansas State University
Christopher Johanson, UCLA
Angel David Nieves, Hamilton College

Schedule:
Participants will spend the first week (June 8-14, 2015) at the University of Arkansas-Jonesboro campus, and then reconvene the following summer at UCLA for a three-day symposium (June 6-9, 2016).

Call for Presentation Proposals-
Immersive Learning Research Network 1st Meeting & Virtual Symposium: iLRN Corvallis, Oregon 2014 Meetup

“Immersed in the Future, Together: Scholarship, Experience, and Community”

13th – 15th November 2014
Corvallis, OR, USA

Oregon State University is pleased to announce the ILRN Corvallis, Oregon 2014 Meetup and Virtual Symposium. This regional meeting and virtual symposium will feature expert researchers, theorists, practitioners, and developers showcasing projects and products that offer “immersive” learning experiences enhanced by digital technology. Immersive environments include virtual worlds, video games, augmented reality applications, and other ways to give people a sense of “Being There”. The Oregon meeting and worldwide virtual symposium will be the first official event of the globally represented Immersive Learning Research Network (IRLN).

The Oregon 2014 Meetup and ILRN Committees invite all immersive learning professionals from across the disciplines to propose a presentation for this Corvallis event, either in person or virtually via the Internet.

Proposal acceptances will be communicated on a first-come, first-served basis starting September 10th. If your proposal is accepted, you will be provided with the ability to schedule a presentation time that is convenient to your time zone and work schedule. Early proposal submission and acceptance will give you the most flexibility for scheduling your presentation. The deadline to submit presentation proposals for guaranteed space is October 13th; proposals received after that date, up until a final deadline of October 27th, will be accepted on a space-available basis. For presentation requirements, please visit: http://immersivelrn.org/ilrn-corvallis-oregon-2014-meetup

Note: Presenters do not need to be active ILRN members. However, everyone is encouraged to join for free before January 1st, 2015 when membership application fees may apply. See http://immersivelrn.org/ for information on joining the Network.

The details of this Call for Presentation Proposals are below and also available online: http://immersivelrn.org/ilrn-corvallis-oregon-2014-meetup

Meetup Theme

As the inaugural event for the Immersive Learning Research Network, the Oregon Meetup Committee believe it fitting to emphasize the communal interest in gathering expertise from across the disciplines, the need to meaningfully connect research to practice, and the critical necessity for people to have mutual experiences and frames of reference. These are hallmarks of meaningful Communities of Practice.

The theme for the IRLN Corvallis, Oregon 2014 Meetup is “Immersed in the Future, Together: Scholarship, Experience, and Community”.

The ILRN Oregon Meetup Committee will give preference to those proposals of Immersive Learning presentations that feature:

– Attempts to substantively bridge multiple kinds of expertise to generate a sense of “immersion” (e.g. psychology, pedagogy, architecture, computer science, etc);
– Sharing resources and visions for Immersive Learning researchers and practitioners to use in developing a common future.
– Sharing technical expertise on creation of Immersive Learning experiences that is not readily available for free elsewhere;
– Featuring design- or evidence-based reasoning for learning within the design of an immersive experience;
– Explicitly develops capacity within immersive learning experiences to form community OR focuses on the community that forms as a result of efforts to create immersive learning experiences;
– Providing Open Educational Resources or open source possibilities for developing Immersive Learning to everyone – to encourage community and sharing.
– Articulating conceptual frameworks or definitions for specific kinds of Immersive Learning expertise that may be of possible benefit or use by others. – Other ideas? Pitch them to the Oregon 2014 Meetup committee!

ILRN Corvallis, Oregon 2014 Meetup and Virtual Symposium Submission format

Presentation proposals must include:

– A concise title.
– The names and affiliations of the presenters; please not whether as part of the MEETUP (i.e. in person presentation) or part of the VIRTUAL SYMPOSIUM (i.e. remote presentation).
– Proposed duration of the presentation – 30 minutes or 50 minutes. The organizers may exceptionally consider well justified longer presentations.
– Preference for a date (November 13, 14, or 15); but, the proposal must not be conditioned on the presentation date, since it is likely that some will not get their preferred date.
– A statement of the presentation’s objective/goals related to Immersive Learning.
– A statement detailing: Why is the presentation topic important? Why is the presentation timely? How is it relevant to Immersive Learning Research and/or Practice?
– A description of the presentation format: how many invited speakers, type of activities (e.g., video overview, live demonstration, live interactive participation, short paper presentation, invited discussion, link to papers, posters, etc.), and an approximate timeline. The keys to a successful ILRN presentation are twofold: Relevant Audience Engagement & Connections to Quality Learning
– A short bio of the presenters, including a description of their qualifications relative to the topic area, and past experience in related conference or research meetings.

Proposal Submission

Complete proposals will have incorporate the above criteria and should be written in English at no more than three pages in length (10pt with reasonable margins) and must be in PDF or plain unformatted text (.txt).

Workshop proposals should be submitted through: http://immersivelrn.org/ilrn-corvallis-oregon-2014-meetup-submission/

Venue

ILRN Corvallis, Oregon 2014 Meetup and Virtual Symposium will take place between 13th and 16th of November 2014 in Corvallis, Oregon on the Oregon State University campus. Visitors may fly into Portland International Airport (PDX) or Eugene Mahlon-Sweet Airport (EUG). More information on: http://immersivelrn.org/ilrn-corvallis-oregon-2014-meetup

Oregon Meeting Organization

General Chair: Jonathon Richter, University of Montana, USA
Local Chair: Jon Dorbolo, Oregon State University, USA
Program Co-Chair: Monica Marlo (to be confirmed)
Program Co-Chair: Kimmy Hescock, Oregon State University, USA Special Events Chair: Eric Smith (to be confirmed)

iLRN Advisory Board

Jonathon Richter, University of Montana, USA
Jon Dorbolo, Oregon State University, USA
Michael Gardner, University of Essex, UK
Jennifer B. Elliot, University of North Carolina, USA
Christian Gütl, Graz University of Technology, Austria
Carlos Delgado Kloos, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain François Garnier, École Nationale Supériore des Arts Décoratifs, France Béatrice Hasler, University of Barcelona, Spain
Pasi Mattila, Center for Internet Excellence, Finland
Colin Allison, University of St Andrews, UK

Publicity & Public Relations: Anasol Pena-Rios, University of Essex, UK

About the iLRN Meetings and Virtual Symposia Series

Immersive Researchers and Developers gather and showcase their work, gather to form community, connect with experts around the world, support one another and generate CAPACITY to reach the high level of quality results that is demonstrated formally at the iLRN Annual Conference. The 1st Annual iLRN Conference is to be held in Prague, Czech Republic in July, 2015. Prior to then, iRLN members around the world may host Regional Meetings and/or Virtual Symposia. Each Regional Meeting &/or Worldwide Symposia generally has a topic or theme. These meetings serve to build capacity for attendees as well as to generate content for the online iLRN presence and materials (newsletters, announcements, etc). The activities and products of these Regional Meetings generates content and stimulates dialogue throughout the iLRNetwork online. These meetings are intended to help create community in local/regional/national areas and connect them with people throughout the world through the virtual symposia.

About iLRN

The vision of the immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN) is to develop a comprehensive research and outreach agenda that encompasses the breadth and scope of learning potentialities, affordances and challenges of immersive learning environments. To achieve this, the iLRN mission is to invite and organize scientists, practitioners, organizations, and innovators across the disciplines to explore, describe, and apply the optimal use of immersive worlds and environments for educational purposes. Further the conference, meetings, and virtual symposia aim to build capacity to explain and demonstrate how these immersive learning environments best work using a variety of rigorous, systematic, and meaningful research methods and outreach strategies.

To join the Immersive Learning Research Network or find out more about events and other initiatives, visit http://immersivelrn.org/